He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has. ~ Epictetus

Advertising is all around us and it rarely seems like advertising at all. We’re shown what we should aspire to have when our friend buys a new car. We’re told what to buy and what to desire when we watch a TV show. (Read This: How to Fight Your Desires)

A life of consumption is a life of dependence. How can a man be free if he’s dependent on the rush of a purchase?

Power comes from being self-reliant and being in control of your desires. It’s becoming more and more difficult, to be in control, to know what’s real and what’s not, or what’s needed and what isn’t.

The vision or the ideal you’re being pitched by your pal, your neighbor, or your TV screen isn’t real. It’s now what you should want because it isn’t the thing that will get you what you want.

What you want is power, freedom, accomplishment, and happiness.

A purchase cannot do that. What you do not have cannot do that.

Everything you need is within your brain and your soul and it’s your job to figure out how to bring it about.

What you have, your health, your family, your friendships, and my favorite thing, your potential, shouldn’t just be appreciated but rejoiced. You should be ecstatic about what you have. You should write it down every day and realize that focusing on what you don’t have is a rabbit hole that will never end.

When you make it a habit of desiring things and stuff that aren’t already yours, you won’t break that habit. It doesn’t matter how much you acquire or how much you end up owning, it will always end up owning you.

Change. Now. Be unlike the minions who see and buy and build up debt. Know what’s important in life, it’s actually quite simple.